Comments
SwvellyBents t1_jc7oogk wrote
Also from the article...
"The MLA is demanding monetary damages for lost business and that the aquarium removes all defamatory statements to the industry. "
Proving the amount and dollar value of the alleged business loss will be key here. That evidence , like the evidence that Maine traps kill whales, is really hard to find.
Lots of interlinked things affect and cause market fluctuations.
PGids t1_jc6qj1b wrote
Reading the full report by the aquarium makes this lawsuit make more sense, at least to me.
They’ve got a ton of compiled info regarding acoustic conformations and visual sightings of these whales and their own info makes it look pretty bad: in the past decade or so the whale activity has been WAY higher in the St. Lawrence Gulf vs the Bay of Fundy + Gulf of Maine by what looks like an order of magnitude. Reasonable gripe against the Canadian fishery, but kinda unjust to lump anyone fishing out of Maine when all the notable whale activity as of late is a long ways off
I dunno, I’m no scientist nor lawyer nor lobsterman. Just a dumbass with a phone lol
gutprof t1_jc725a1 wrote
Yes, but you're doing thoughtful work with your phone and in time our dumbasses gradually become smartasses.
kjimdandy t1_jc6xdol wrote
Allegedly From the NOAA:
"there has never been a death traced back to the Maine lobster industry and only one documented injury from lobster gear since 2004."
So, unless Seafood Watch and the aquarium are fine with chucking out random undocumented claims with no proof, they better be prepared in litigation for a while.
Menckenlover t1_jc6valt wrote
While the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lists entanglement in fishing gear as a primary cause of mortality and injury among right whales, there has never been a death traced back to the Maine lobster industry and only one documented injury from lobster gear since 2004.
GrowFreeFood t1_jc6r1i7 wrote
This is a perfect example of defamation and will be intresting to see it play out.
IamSauerKraut t1_jc77iqd wrote
More like a public policy (political) issue which is non-judiciable. Rule 11 toss is my guess.
GrowFreeFood t1_jc7awhi wrote
I will agree that is the more likely outcome. But there are a lot of implications if it goes futher. Like i said, this might get intresting.
archaeopterxyz t1_jc71jfx wrote
What's up with the downvotes here? It's a more than reasonable question.
Identifying snarled lines can be challenging. There's some likelihood that lobster gear will contain components (traps, buoys, quick connects, weak links, etc) and/or rigging style unique to this application. But if it's been dragged around by a whale for a while, maybe not.
Source: am captain.
lsanborn t1_jc8c02g wrote
The aquarium has been maligning the lobster industry for at least twenty years. When I was last there, there were cards on the cafe tables saying they don’t serve lobster because it’s being overfished. Was completely untrue and there was research to prove it. I think these are PETA people who know abundant crustaceans do not generate as much sympathy as endangered mammals.
Trilliam_West t1_jcaetpz wrote
Lawsuit is going to get tossed pretty quickly.
FriendlySocietyWhale t1_jc6oymm wrote
How do you prove that a tangle of rope belongs to a lobster trap, or not?
Que_Horror t1_jc70qzc wrote
Maine lobster fishermen color-code their rope. The law requires specific colors, of specific lengths, to be inserted in specific sections of the line. This makes it easy to identify. They also insert breakaway links.
ecco-domenica t1_jc6z92k wrote
You can tell a lot by the kind of line and if there's other trap gear debris along with it, possibly even trap tags.
gutprof t1_jc72dh8 wrote
Reasonable question.
gopurplekitty t1_jc7bpns wrote
Good.
ThisIsHowBoredIAm t1_jcbfcf4 wrote
Official position of the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Their rating, in their view, is based on non-compliance with the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act, specifically that the risk-reduction measures are insufficient for "all East Coast gillnet and trap/pot fisheries regulated under the Plan."
DadsMedicare t1_jcbix6k wrote
Without proof of direct injury, this lawsuit will quickly be dismissed.
Has there ever been a tourist not buy a lobster roll because of this aquarium's stance?
SnooCats7847 t1_jc97pje wrote
Took Trumps money and his signature move.
Fenidreams t1_jc8i76j wrote
good! It was clearly capitalists throwing shade on family owned fishermen and fisheries
shopgirl56 t1_jc7ww5s wrote
IDK although id really like to hear about the concerns of the Maine lobsterman ive made a promise to not be 'woke'
IamSauerKraut t1_jc76wh9 wrote
All these lawsuits are going to raise the prices of our favorite bugs by how much? What's the point, really?
SAT0725 OP t1_jc6i56w wrote
From the article:
"The aquarium’s 'Seafood Watch' program 'red-listed' Maine lobster last year, urging buyers to avoid the product for the fishery’s supposed role in the deaths of endangered North Atlantic Right Whales.
"The MLA says there is no evidence showing any right whale has been harmed or killed by entanglement in Maine lobstering gear in more than 18 years, and highlighted the preventative measures they’ve taken."